


B-4n Door-1: Welcome to the BanG Dream

by XiroPaine



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Anxiety, Bartenders, Character Death, Dark Past, Depression, Drinking, F/F, Guilt, Heavy Angst, Heavy Drinking, Multi, Other, Out of Character, Psychological Trauma, Recreational Drug Use, Self-Hatred, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smoking, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, VA-11 Hall-A AU, but only slightly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 15:43:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17062487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XiroPaine/pseuds/XiroPaine
Summary: Hidden in the back-alleys of Circle City lays a refuge for those trying to escape the hardships of their reality. Behind every face and drink is a story, baggage waiting to be unloaded. There is no rest for the troubled and the weary, but sharing a glass with good company can make things seem a little more bearable.(Va-11 Hall-A/dystopian cyberpunk pub AU)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back again with a new story, but with all the angst. Seriously, all of it. Be warned that this is going to cover some really deep stuff, so if you don't want to deal with that then don't read it. I'll try my absolute best to tag as many things as possible and actually use the tagging system properly for you guys that need warnings. Ships will be added as they become apparent, maybe not official in the au but obvious enough to warrant the tag. Some of these are my secondary ships, cause I'm a multishipping piece of crap.  
> Please note that all the characters for this fic have been aged up to adults and are legally able to drink. Yes, I will be putting recipes down for my very obviously bandori referenced drink names, but they're all theoretical and are variants based on actual cocktails so I can't be certain they'll taste decent if actually attempted. If you do drink, please drink responsibly and know your limitations.  
> Anyways, I've been wanting to write a heavier fic since things can't always be fluffy. The idea obviously came from the game/visual novel Va-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. Just started it recently, and I love it to pieces. Other influences come from the anime called Bartender and my own love for alcoholic drinks. All the characters will be in the fic in some way or another. Some will only be mentioned, but a good portion of them will have their own story arcs. I'm writing this very freeform, so it might be a jumbled mess since things are going to overlap like hell. Like it's too the point that I might need to rewrite all my notes into a spreadsheet cause it's all over the place on my word document. Updates will also be much more sporadic since writing this stuff takes a lot more out of me than the fluffy shippy stuff. There will be some fluffy shippy stuff in here too, but most of it is just straight up angst for those that like to suffer, like me!

Circle City, 207X A.D  
A city that shouldn't exist. A tax haven where corporations and criminal empires reign supreme. In this place, all human life has been infected with nanomachines to keep them in check. Over them stand the White Knights, who ensure that a corrupt government laws are obeyed. Here, brutality in all its forms is an everyday reality. The quality of life for the non-powerful decreases at an alarming rate. For many, this can be overwhelming. Some devote themselves to their jobs, their families, or even their studies. Some look for ways to escape this place, and others... just give up. But for many of them, the answer lies at the bottom of a glass.

On a small road just seconds away from Main Street, somewhere near the slums, you can find Door-1 of the BTC-certified bar coded B-4n...but that's a mouthful, so many just refer to the place as the "BanG Dream." A small oasis in the middle of the concrete desert. A fountain of spirits waiting for tired souls.

And it's here where this story unfolds.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The winter chill breathes against the back of Misaki's neck and she can't help but shiver as she draws her jacket tighter.

"Gods, who thought it'd come so early this year?" she mumbles to herself, holding her hood up to prevent the wind from reaching her head. "I hope Kokoro remembered to pay the heating bill."

Misaki turns off Main Street onto the narrower Bushy Road. She already feels just a little warmer as the tall concrete buildings looming above offer some protection against the harsh weather. She would definitely need to have a cup of tea before her shift starts. Anything to keep her body temperature up.

The bartender was so desensitized by the monotony of her daily route to work that it was easy to spot a lone figure arbitrarily out of place. It was that of a woman slumped against one of the building walls. Misaki's eyes grew wide, her frantic footsteps echoing in the cement valley she traversed as she ran up and knelt next to the unconscious woman's body. She was still warm and had a pulse, so Misaki was relieved to not have found her already dead.

"Must have passed out before the evening chill came in." Misaki inferred, taking note of the light jacket the woman wore—the color of it striking similar to the blueness of her hair. It wasn't uncommon to see a person passed out in the streets, may it be from exhaustion or intoxication. Misaki certainly was not a stranger to both those things. In any other case, she would have ignored them and walked right on past them, but with how cold that night was, Misaki couldn't find it in her to leave the woman out in the open. It was probably a bad idea, but Misaki decided it'd be better off that she deal with the panic once the other woman awakened rather than have the thought of her freezing to death linger in the back of her mind.

Despite her size, Misaki was surprisingly strong and had no issues carrying the woman on her back. They weren't very far off from the bar she worked at, and the cold would probably keep her from even breaking a sweat. As she arrived, she was lucky enough to find the door to the establishment wide open.

"Kokoro, you're going to let the chill in," Misaki called out as she entered, immediately seeing Kokoro behind the bar taking inventory of their liquor.

The blonde would have smiled at the arrival of her employee had she not first noticed the woman passed out on Misaki's back, "I had a feeling I needed to leave the door propped open for something. Glad to see my intuition was right."

"Your intuition is a lot of things," Misaki commented as she gently laid the woman down at one of the booths before heading back to close the door.

"Want to tell me why you showed up to work with a girl on your back?" Kokoro asked with a curious smile.

"Found her passed out on the street." Misaki explained, "I couldn't just leave her there with the cold front sweeping in. Don't worry, I'll deal with her when she wakes up."

"I knew you had goodness in you, Misaki!" Kokoro praised.

Misaki only grumbled at the overly bubbly compliment. Had it been anyone else, Misaki would have thought it was sarcasm, but knowing Kokoro, she knew that her boss meant every word of it. "Anybody else in yet?"

"Nope! Though Saaya's the only other one I asked to come in today. I know you can manage the bar on your own."

Misaki hummed in response as she went to deposit her coat in the break room. Tuesdays were certainly slow for them, that much was no surprise, but what Misaki was surprised at was the fact that both Sayo and Tsugumi weren't scheduled to work today. Everyone on staff was full-time, but Sayo and Tsugumi were always trying to go above and beyond what was expected of them. They even took on more hours without caring whether or not they would get compensated for overtime. No matter, Misaki was more than capable of handling the bar on her own, so it wouldn't be a problem. Even if things did get a little busy, she'd just try to pull Kokoro or Saaya out to help if they didn't have other work to be focusing on.

"How'd you get those two to take a day off?" Misaki couldn't help but ask as she returned to the bar.

"The past weekend was extremely draining for them. So I told them that if they came in today, I'd take away their holiday bonus," Kokoro returned with a smile.

"I didn't know you could be so harsh…"

"They deserve the rest. Sayo especially. I think she may have been traumatized by the amount of carrot cake that was ordered over the course of it all."

"Carrot cake?"

Last time Misaki remembered, they didn't serve carrot cake. Only your typical bar food: fries, burgers, those sorts of things. She had only called off work over the weekend so that she could take her guinea pig, Michelle, to the vet. She doubted that they'd change the menu over the course of a single weekend.

"What the hell happened while I was gone?"

"Rabbits, Misaki. So. Many. Rabbits." Saaya deadpanned, having overheard Misaki's question as she entered the vicinity. She looked as if remembering the events of the weekend had given her some sort of PTSD.

"Pardon?" Misaki asked, beyond confused.

"The Amami Toy Company booked the entire weekend last minute for the company's anniversary celebration," Kokoro explained.

"Isn't that…" Misaki began.

"The company that's nearly staffed entirely by talking rabbits?" Saaya finished before answering the question herself, "Yes."

"Not what I was going to ask," Misaki said dryly. She knew they didn't usually book the bar for private events, so why start now? Also, did she hear correctly? A company staffed by talking rabbits? "You know what, I don't want to know."

"Better if you didn't." Saaya laughed, making her way back toward the kitchen. "If you need backup out front, just call me."

The night started out slow as usual, with the occasional guest buying a drink and leaving to sit at one of the tables away from the bar. She wasn't the most sociable bartender, but Misaki bored out of her mind without a bit of company to distract her from the overall emptiness of the bar. Even when Sayo was around, her presence itself was soothing enough despite them barely conversing to one another. But that was also because on occasion, Sayo would start talking to herself. Rather, to someone named Hina, despite there being nobody on the other side of the bar. Tsugumi reassured her that it was probably just some sort of coping mechanism, but Misaki was afraid to ask what had happened to cause her to be that way. Crazy talk aside, Sayo was a pretty decent person when she wasn't being so spiteful of everything around her. Though it did seem that she's been improving in that regard ever since she started babbling into the empty air.

Another hour or two passed until a person with shoulder-length ivory hair dragged her way into the bar.

"Welcome to the BanG Dream."

Misaki said the greeting out of custom, though she could easily tell by the body language and dead look in the person's eyes that she wasn't going to be much of a talker.

"Gimme something heavy," she said in a bone-dry tone as she took a seat on the stool, refusing to make eye contact.

Misaki could hear just how tired and defeated she was. She lifted a curious eyebrow, saying, "Heavy… taste wise? Or?"

"Alcohol wise," the customer clarified, "Need it. Lots of it. Whatever's dry and burns and numbs the pain. Otherwise, I don't care."

Misaki pondered on the request momentarily before stepping off to prepare a drink. "I think I know what you need."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Moca double checked the address on her phone before stuffing it back in her packet before her hand froze off.

B-4n Door-1 Bushy Road  
Circle City, GBP 31617

This certainly was the place, but when Moca heard that it was a hole-in-the-wall dive bar, she wasn't expecting the description to be so literal. It certainly looked like someone had tried to blow a hole into the concrete, though maybe it only seemed that way for the aesthetic. Moca sighed dejectedly in spite of it, her breath visible in the air as she exhaled. _Maybe try not to get banned from this bar too, Moca. Though, Ran probably wouldn't have liked me going to so many in the first place._

Moca clenched her teeth. Dammit, why couldn't she even stop herself from thinking about her? Ran Ran Ran Ran Ran. That's all that's been in her head for over two years now. Moca just wanted her silence her thoughts; her memories. Maybe she'll booze herself up enough tonight to finally die of alcohol poisoning.

She stood there disoriented for a while longer before finally making her way toward the entrance. It felt like she had to force her body to move, barely able to drag herself into the establishment. Even in the safety of these walls, it wasn't much warmer inside than it was out, but at this point everything felt cold to Moca. She probably hadn't felt warmth since that morning before Ran left.

_"Raaaan~ come back. The bed's so much colder now without you," Moca whined as Ran stood up to get ready for the day._

_"You know I have work today," Ran replied, trying to pry Moca from her waist._

_"But Moca has the day off. Call off work, please?"_

_Moca gave her best attempt at puppy dog eyes and Ran was half tempted to indulge the both of them. But she couldn't, not when rent was due next week._

_"Moca, you work from home."_

_"But what if Moca gets lonely?"_

_"If you let me get to work on time, I'll get you the throwaway bread from that bakery near work when they close."_

_"Ran drives a hard bargain," Moca said as she hesitantly released Ran from her grip. "All that bread going to waste."_

_Ran laughed, momentarily running her hand through the ivory locks as Moca looked as if she were mourning all the wasted bread. "You know they don't actually throw it out. They send that to the food kitchen across town. Sometimes they'll give the shop some to make compost for the plants."_

_"I know," Moca answered, a lazy smile etching on her face as Ran went through her hair. "I'll make some bisque tonight to go with it. You better come home before it gets cold."_

_"Promise," Ran spoke barely above a whisper before planting a light kiss on her drowsy fiancée's forehead._

Moca stared blankly at the polished wood of the bar, head hung low as the memory replayed in her mind. _Ran's a liar._

Of course she didn't mean that. It wasn't Ran's fault. No, Moca knew at the end of the day she couldn't blame Ran. She blamed everything else in the world. She blamed the inflation of this cursed city, overpriced rent, and horrible wages making hard for anyone to take off work. She blamed herself for coaxing Ran to stop by the bakery on the way back rather than heading straight home. She blamed the gangs and mafias that crawled in the shadows of the city; their turf wars; their guns. It was a stray bullet that found its way into Ran's side, died from bleed out before the White Knight that came to help could get her to the hospital in time. Looking back on that day, there were so many things she found that she could place the blame on. If one small variable had been changed, maybe Ran wouldn't have been caught in the unlucky situation that led to her untimely death.

"Try this," Moca heard a nonchalant voice say.

Lifting her head up slightly, Moca caught the figure of the bartender through the strands of her hair.

"What is it?" Moca asked, not that she cared what it was. She'd drink it regardless, but she at least wanted to know what she was poisoning her body with.

"We call it a Bandori Bijou, one of our house cocktails. Dry and bitter; people usually only get it if they're drinking to forget."

[Bandori Bijou]  
Dash of Bitter Melon Bitters  
1 part Green Chartreuse  
1 part London Dry Gin  
1 part Dry Vermouth

Moca said her thanks and took a sip. It was certainly dry, taste was nearly all just alcohol burn. Extremely bitter too—Ran would have loved it. Moca sighed. While the drink smoothed out the edge she felt in her body, the memory of her parted beloved still hung heavy in her mind. She cursed under her breath as she started to feel the stinging in her eyes.

Misaki, as she looked on at her patron's internal struggle, decided it was better that she didn't probe. "You probably want to be alone, but if you want to talk or order another drink, just call me over."

"I will, thanks."

 _Maybe once I've had enough booze to kill me_ , Moca thought as she took another swig of her drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, right out of the gate with the heavy stuff. I think Moca has the heaviest baggage of them all. Eh, maybe Sayo actually. Who knows? I'm not exactly following the progression of the game's storyline, though there will be quite a few parallels here and there. I think all of you can guess who our unconscious blue-haired friend is, she'll be coming around next chapter along with a few other lost souls.  
> I've had so much extra time to write, since it's now winter recess for me. I wouldn't get my hopes up yet though about constant updates. Regardless, I do hope you guys enjoy this new AU. I know it's pretty far left field compared to some other things that are written for this fandom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to update this sooner, but then I bought Monster Hunter Generations off the 3DS store during the holiday sale… and well, that’s taken up all my time. But here’s another chapter of angst fest in a bottle. I still have yet to finish the game proper, so for those of you who have played VA-11 Hall-A, don’t expect this AU to be too much like it. It’ll be a bit until I’m able to introduce all the characters, but they’ll slowly filter into the bar. Treat this fic like a pour of expensive whisky, you gotta nurse the hell out of it.
> 
> Oh, real quick! Some background lore for those of you who haven’t played the game. Aside from the nanomachines present within all humans, there’s also a population of “enhanced” humans and lilim. Some people have cybernetic enhancements, basically cyborgs, though that term isn’t officially used in-game as far as I know. Lilim are basically androids and there are several models built for different purposes; however, are all are capable of social interaction. They’re a marginalized group attempting to be given the same civilian rights as humans. Ako is a lilim, as well as a few other characters. I just say this now so you don’t freak out too much about what happens in the chapter!

Misaki was more than ready for her break. Hours of just standing around was starting to get to her. She’d even be willing to suffer though a couple minutes in the cold if that meant she could have a quick smoke to keep her sane and awake. Calling on Saaya to cover the bar while she was out, Misaki donned her heavy coat and took her spot against the concrete wall just beyond B-4n Door-1’s threshold. She only managed to light her cigarette when she noticed a White Knight heading in her direction.

“If you’re here for a surprise inspection, I’m going to have to see a warrant,” Misaki said as she took the cigarette between her lips. She didn’t bother looking directly at the White Knight, knowing they were probably just trying to bluff their way into getting a free drink by using a surprise inspection as an excuse. 

“What?! Seriously?! I’m gone for a few months and now I need a glorified piece of government sanctioned paper just to get into my favorite bar?” The knight bantered back in exaggerated shock, crossing their arms disbelievingly in the process. Misaki couldn’t help but release a grave chuckle as she recognized the bolstering voice.

“Saaya’s running the bar right now,” Misaki said, pointing her thumb towards the door, “Smooze her for a free drink, Tomoe.”

The White Knight laughed heartily before taking off their helmet. Crimson locks cascaded over armor-clad shoulders while obstructing just enough of her face for the eyepatch to be hardly noticeable. Tomoe playfully bumped her fist against Misaki’s shoulder before heading in. “Just as apathetic as always, huh, Misaki? Kokoro really working you that hard?”

“Better than the alternative,” Misaki scoffed under her breath. Knowing of Tomoe’s enhancements, she knew that the knight probably still heard it from halfway across the bar.

Tomoe couldn’t help but look around the bar as she took her usual seat. It was more or less how she remembered it, though some of the posters on the walls seemed to have been replaced. She managed to flag down Saaya, who was handing an ivory-haired patron on the other end of the counter another drink. Not that she needed it, Tomoe observed. Her composure was hardly put together, but at least she drank quietly. Tomoe momentarily debated whether or not to offer her company, but eventually decided that it was better if they were left alone.

“Tomoe! It’s been too long! How have you been?” Saaya greeted her old friend, already handing her a glass of her usual cocktail. 

[Scarlet Shrub]  
2 parts strawberry shrub syrup  
1 part dry gin  
4 parts seltzer  
served on the rocks with mint sprigs for garnish

Tomoe was grateful Saaya still remembered her favorite order, because having the entire bar overhear a hardcore White Knight order a somewhat fruity drink would probably bruise Tomoe’s ego more than she would like to admit.

“A lot’s happened, if I’m being honest.” Tomoe answered back with a nervous laugh. However, she wasted no time in recounting her ventures of the last few months since her last visit. “Got relocated to a district in the southeast for patrol duty a few months back. Plus, money’s been tight lately, so some things had to be cut. Unfortunately social drinking was one of them. Not that I had the time to be relaxing with the amount of work that needed to get done.”

Saaya hummed in response, picking up a newly washed glass to dry off to keep her hands busy as Tomoe spoke.

“Plus, with what happened to Ako… I guess it’s been a tough few months for us.”

Saaya nodded understandably. A tough few months was putting it lightly, if you asked her, but the Udagawas were some of the most resolute people Saaya knew. Several months prior, a riot had broken out in the northernmost district of Circle City. An uprising of humans and lilim alike against a company that was making slave labor out of their employees. Tomoe and Ako had been hastily put on the SWAT team in response to the violence. Ako’s previous body was destroyed in an explosion caused by a molotov cocktail, while Tomoe had gotten her eye stabbed out with a broken piece of glass. Tomoe was resilient despite the odds, putting on double shifts to save money and to gain enough favor with the government to have Ako’s AI redeployed into a new body. From Tomoe’s messages, Saaya knew Ako was redeployed about a month ago, but there were still a lot of pieces needing to be picked up.

“Hey, you’re here now right?” Saaya reassured with a smile, “Bring Ako along next time, why don’t you? I bet she’ll want to brag all about her new body to Sayo.”

Tomoe released a light-hearted laugh before taking a generous swig of her drink. “Haha, you’re right. Though, she still trips over herself sometimes with the height difference and everything.”

Prior to the riot, Ako had already been planning to get upgrades to her body. One of them being a height change. Since she was going to be redeployed into a new body anyways, Tomoe made sure that all of specifications were up to par with what Ako would have wanted. It pushed the redeployment fee higher than what Tomoe was comfortable with financially, but she was willing to stretch things out for the sake of her sister.

“So~, where’s the rest of the crew anyways?”

It was Saaya’s turn to laugh awkwardly. She momentarily glanced down towards the other end of the bar to check if the other patron needed another drink, only to find the seat empty, a cash tip poking from underneath the emptied glass that was left there. Saaya sighed; at least she had paid for her drinks upfront. Returning her attention to Tomoe, she leaned against the bar.

“You wouldn’t believe what happened over the past weekend.” It was obvious that Saaya was itching to spill the gossip, “Kokoro basically forced them to take the day off to recover from the madness.”

Tomoe raised a curious brow, “try me.”

“You know anything about the Amami Toy Company?”

Tomoe shook her head no.

“Well, they had this huge company party for their anniversary,” Saaya explained, “Booked the entire weekend. Turns out 99% of the company are talking rabbits.”

“...and the other 1%?” Tomoe asked after a brief silence.

“A lilim and a human. I think they were only hired for their thumbs.”

“Well,” Tomoe started as she furrowed her brow. “Not the craziest thing I’ve heard or seen. So congrats, I believe you. But damn, crazy weekend then?”

“Very. Tsugumi and I were baking endless carrot cakes in the kitchen almost the entire time.”

“Must have been hell for Sayo,” Tomoe laughed, too immersed in the story to realize she had finished her drink.

“You don’t even know!” Saaya said exasperated, “She even stormed into the kitchen at some point demanding we switch places for the night because, and I quote, ‘If I have to hear another goddamn story about how much Bernie Cottontail misses his grandpa’s carrot farm, I will skin one of these rabbits alive and use its fur as my new winter coat.’”

“That’s a bit excessive, even for Sayo.” Tomoe muttered, indirectly intimidated at the threat. Though Saaya’s impression of a spiteful Sayo did make it a little more humorous than it ought to be.

“Like I said, crazy.” Saaya sighed, finally calming down from the adrenaline. “You want another drink?”

Before Tomoe could give her answer, the bar rumbled as an explosion could be heard outside. With wide eyes, Saaya stared worriedly at Tomoe, who was instantly on her feet after the ground settled. 

“Uh, maybe rain check on that,” Tomoe answered rather frantically, reaching between the plates of her armor to reach a pocket with some cash in it. Slamming a handful onto the bar without bothering to count it, she took off towards the door. “We’ll talk later Saaya, it was good seeing you again!”

“Wait!” Saaya called, only that Tomoe was already out the door by the time it had left her mouth. She sighed dejectedly, “You left your helmet…”

A beat later, Misaki hurried through the entrance, slamming the door behind her. Her posture was collected, but her eyes as if she had witnessed a murder.

“What happened out there?”

“A hover car went straight into a building.” Misaki said. She proceeded to awkwardly cough away the uneasiness within her before continuing. “Nothing too bad, but not the way I wanted to spend the trickling moments of my break.”

Misaki made her way back behind the bar, shrugging off her coat. She haphazardly folded it up and threw it onto an empty shelf under the bar counter. As she straightened up, she noticed the White Knight helmet resting on the wooden counter. “Tomoe forgot her helmet?”

“Yea…” Saaya drew out, figuring it had been on Tomoe’s blind side. It wasn’t usual for the knight to be the forgetful type.

“Whatever, she’ll come back for it eventually.” Misaki took the helmet and put it under the bar next to her jacket.

A soft murmur then was heard at one of the far booths. “Fuee…”

“Shit, I forgot she was here,” Misaki cursed under her breath.

“Seems like a you-problem. I’m taking my break now.” Saaya waved, heading back to the break room.

Misaki sighed, not enthusiastic about the inevitable interaction. She managed to pour a glass of water before walking back to the booth where the frightened woman was huddled into. Knees to her chest, the woman cowered even more as Misaki approached.

“Who...who are you? Whe-where am I? You’re not, like, an organ thief, right? Are you going to rip out my organs and sell them in the black market while you leave my mutilated body out to rot in the street, never to be seen again?”

“Woah, okay now.” Misaki put her free hand up defensively. The woman was sputtering out questions faster than she could even process them. “That’s extremely specific, but no I’m not going to harm you. You’re in a bar; I’m a bartender.”

“What’s that?” The blue-haired woman pointed nervously at the drink in Misaki’s hand, “Are you going to drug me and then have your way with me?! Fuee…”

Misaki coughed at the absurd claim. “No! What?! This is a glass of water! Not drugged or anything! I’m not going to do anything to you! Just… drink this. Calm down a bit.”

Misaki put the glass down on the table, unsure if she had directed that last sentence to the frightened woman or to herself. It seemed like the panic was starting to spread to her too. “I’ll be at the bar and when you have your head on straight, we can talk. I don’t think you’ll listen to anything I have to say if I try to explain it to you in this state.”

Her heartbeat could be heard pounding in her head the entire way back to the bar. Misaki really wasn’t the best person to deal with panic, as a lot of the time it just caused her secondhand panic or uncomfort. Maybe she should just get Kokoro to deal with this—making people smile was sort of her specialty after all. Opting to wipe down the bar to calm her nerves, Misaki couldn’t help but glance over to the far booth a few times to make sure there weren’t any more panic attacks. It took a while until the woman final reached out to shakily drink from the glass of water Misaki had left for her, and a while more until she was stable enough to walk over and sit at the bar.

“You good?” Misaki asked with concern.

“Um...yes.” The woman shuffled in her seat nervously. “Uh...thank you f-for the water. Sorry I, uh, freaked out.”

“I don’t really blame you, honestly.” Misaki said as she refilled the empty glass with more water. “If I woke up in an unfamiliar place, I’d probably panic too.”

The blue-haired woman took another drink, noticibly calmer than beforehand. “How did, you know- how’d I get here?”

“I, ugh,” Misaki began, “Well, I sort of saw you passed out on the street on my way to work. The cold was setting in and I couldn’t just leave you out there alone, you know?”

Misaki saw her perk up momentarily in grateful relief before slouching back down. “Fuee… I- uh, thank you. I guess I just passed out on my way back from work.”

“Tough job?”

“Uh, yeah. You could say that… I’m not sure I’m doing a very good job either.”

“Can’t be that bad.” Misaki reassured, despite not knowing anything about the woman or her work ethic, “Do you want an actual drink? This is an actual bar and all.”

“Sure, I guess… oh! Um, my name is Kanon...by the way.”

“Misaki,” the bartender answered, “Right, uh... Welcome to the BanG Dream.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s a bit lighter as an apology for starting out so dark. The decision to make Ako a lilim but Tomoe a human was mostly to explain why they look so different from each other, but they’re still as close as sisters can get since they still grew up together. Also, Tomoe’s eyepatch getup from the cameo in Kaoru’s White Day card was a huge reason why I decided Tomoe would lose an eye. I had a darker backstory for that, but decided against it cause that would have just been way too brutal and I don’t want to kill you guys more than I already plan to. And yes, tol Ako is gonna be a thing.
> 
> Kanon might have been a bit out of character, sorry about that. I was trying to make a parallel between her and Kim because that initial interaction in the game just had me laughing so hard I couldn’t not add that to this fic somehow. Misaki and Kanon are so awkward, they’re so precious. No hints on which ships will sail though. :p (also cause I’m not sure yet and change my mind every three seconds)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I think I’m going to resolve to giving this fic monthly updates at the very least. It’s my final semester in university, and I’m drowning in a lot of real life responsibilities. Regardless, writing is cathartic to me so I try to make time. I’m sorry this chapter is so short; I was going to write more but… well, I’ll wait ‘til the end notes for that. I’m sorry for this.

As much as Sayo did not want to admit it, Kokoro giving her the previous day off was a mental day she desperately needed. Damn rabbits and their carrot cake needs. Sayo scoffed at the memory of the past weekend, her breath visible in the chilled evening air as she made her way to work. She hoped that for once work would go back to normal as she walked through the front door, shaking off a thin layer of sleet from her shoulders.

“You’re early as always, Sayo!” A cheerful voice said from behind the counter.

“Good evening, Koko-” Sayo had to pause at the sight of her boss sporting a White Knight helmet. She should have known better than to hope that work would ever be anywhere near uneventful. “Kokoro, why are you wearing that?”

“Oh this?!” Kokoro notioned to the helmet on her head. “I just found it under the bar while I was opening up today.”

“So you thought the next logical step was to try it on?” Sayo asked with an eyebrow cocked.

“I don’t plan and evaluate every move, Sayo… I just act.” Kokoro took up a squared-off stance as she crossed her arms triumphantly, “Anyways, as your boss, I’m taking this helmet until someone comes to claim it.”

Sayo heard the front door open again. Upon turning over her shoulder to see who had entered, she found Misaki grumbling to herself as she was kicking the snow off that stuck onto her boots. It seemed that Sayo managed to avoid the snow by arriving to work early.

“Misaki! The person I wanted to see!” Kokoro chimed happily.

Misaki was about to make a snarky comment, but the words caught awkwardly in her throat as she looked up to her helmet-clad employer. “Kokoro, could you not put things on without asking who they belong to first?”

“Boo~, that’s not fun, Misaki.”

Both Misaki and Sayo could mentally picture Kokoro sticking her tongue out even from inside the helmet. 

“But that was what I was going to ask,” Kokoro said, “Where’d this thing come from?”

“Tomoe came by yesterday,” Misaki explained, “She left in a hurry and forgot her helmet. Figured she’d come back eventually for it.”

“You sound happier than usual, Kokoro,” Sayo pointed out.

“Well, this helmet is comfortable...and cool!” Kokoro exclaimed, “Actually, really really cool...double cool, now that I know that it’s Tomoe’s.”

“Kokoro, please take Tomoe’s helmet off,” An additional voice joined the staff at the bar. Saaya was shaking off her winter jacket as she approached the counter.

“I would if I knew how to,” Kokoro replied with a happier tone than she should have had.

“Don’t tell us…” Misaki droned.

“Yup! Can’t take the helmet off.”

Kokoro was on the verge of laughing, but her employees sported a combination of worry, disappointment, and annoyance.

“Did you check the internet?” Saaya suggested.

“I don’t think ‘how to unlatch a White Knight helmet I randomly put on without thinking’ is a very common query,” Sayo added.

Misaki sighed. It was much too early into the work day for something so eventful to already happen. “Sayo, could you handle the bar for a bit? I’ll try to help Kokoro. Saaya, could you contact Tomoe?”

They all nodded and went on to open the bar. Sayo was stocking up glasses when Tsugumi finally entered the bar.

“Good evening, Sayo!” Tsugumi said with a smile, “Sorry about being late, did I miss anything?”

“Everything.” Sayo said simply, though a small smirk did quirk up from the corner of her mouth.

“Oh no! What did Kokoro do this time?” Tsugumi said slightly worried. Kokoro was always getting herself into trouble. However, without missing a beat, Tsugumi was behind the counter helping Sayo stock the bar so they could converse a little longer, despite her position usually being assigned to the kitchen.

“Tomoe came by yesterday, apparently. Now her helmet is stuck on Kokoro.”

“Tomoe came by?!” Tsugumi blurted out in excitement. It had been months since she last saw the White Knight in person. Of course Tomoe would finally come around on the one day she had the agreed to have the day off. “I’m missing out on everything.”

“She’ll be back.” Sayo reassured calmly, though she could empathize with the brunette’s elation. Everyone at the bar revered Tomoe, in their own individual way. Usually it was the customer who would end up venting their life problems to the bartender; however, it wasn’t uncommon for one of the staff to confide in Tomoe with their personal issues. Sayo would be lying if she said she wasn’t also looking forward to seeing the redhead again. “Saaya’s trying to contact her to see if she can help with freeing Kokoro. So maybe she’ll come by again soon.”

Once the two finished stocking up the bar, Tsugumi politely excused herself to prep the kitchen before a mass of customers came in. However, she was not left in complete silence for long when a familiar voice rang in her ears.

“Hey Sis!!”

Sayo sighed to herself, setting the glass she had been cleaning down onto the countertop. “Hina…”

“You weren’t here yesterday,” Hina propped her elbow up onto the bar so that she could rest her head in her hand. “I mean, it wasn’t too busy, so Misaki wasn’t really overwhelmed with work. Kinda wish she’d at least say hi.”

As if summoned, Misaki finally came out of Kokoro’s office looking much more annoyed than when she entered. It looked as if no progress had been made with getting the helmet off and Misaki had resolved to wait until Tomoe came—if she even did stop by today. Misaki passed Sayo behind the bar and Sayo could almost see a hint of sympathy etched across the other bartender’s face. As Misaki situated herself on the opposite end of the bar, Sayo turned back towards where Hina was.

“You know nobody else can see you,” Sayo said in a cautious, hushed tone. Last thing she wanted was to risk Misaki overhearing her ‘talking to herself’ again. Even now, she wasn’t entirely sure if the ghost of her late sister had truly taken up residence at the bar, or if her guilt continued to manifest itself in a self-destructive hallucination. She watched Hina’s smile fall, not bothering to keep up the false sense of happiness.

“I just… it sucks not having anyone to talk to when you’re not around.” As Hina spoke somberly, her body seemed to glitch out for a fraction of a second which went unnoticed by Sayo, who refused to look at her directly. “You hardly even talked to me before-”

“We’re not going there, Hina.” Sayo cut her off a little too loudly. She glanced quickly to Misaki, who was busy serving an ivory-haired customer on the other side of the bar. She briefly locked eyes with the customer and she looked as if she wanted to say something but brushed it off when Misaki addressed her, most likely asking for payment. Sayo turned and stared down at the glossy finish of the bar before her. “I know what I was before. And I still regret it. I can’t take that back.”

“Sis…“ Hina began, but didn’t really know what to say. A silence fell between them. “You’re trying now, right?”

“It’s too late now!” Sayo burst out, tears threatening to spill out. Again, the lone customer looked over but Misaki shook her head and asked her to leave it be. “Hina, you’re dead! Dead, Hina! We buried you! And I was nothing but an awful sister to you, barely acknowledging your existence. But now… you don’t even exist.”

Tears were rolling down her cheeks now. Sayo held on to the counter to stabilize herself. Hina wasn’t sure what to do, what she could even do. Tsugumi ran out from the kitchen, most likely hearing Sayo’s outburst.

“This is what I wanted. It was, then. But now…” Sayo hated herself for getting so emotional during her shift. So much for hoping for a normal day at work. After the backbreaking weekend, she had been left with her own thoughts during her day off. Without bartending work or pretentious rabbits to distract her, she spent most of her free day in a self-deprecating spiral of her past mistakes and current regrets. As much as she hated it, it was something she had to address with herself if she had any chance of moving forward with her life.

“Sayo…” Tsugumi comforted softly, hesitantly grabbing Sayo’s arm in hopes it would ground her. Of course, she could not sense Hina’s presence on the other side of the bar. “Hina wouldn’t be mad at you. Please, you can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened. She wouldn’t want to see you end up like this.”

“I hate it,” Hina responded somberly under her breath as she watched her sister break down. Tsugumi wouldn’t have heard her regardless, but the helplessness paralyzed her. She wanted to embrace her sister and convince her that she could never stay mad at her, even if their relationship had been rocky at best when she was still alive. But she couldn’t even fully convince Sayo that she wasn’t a figment of her imagination. All Hina ever managed to do, dead or alive, was make things worse for her sister. Hina decided, with guilt heavy in her heart, that maybe it was better if she wasn’t in Sayo’s presence right now. She began to fade, her words a whisper in the wind as her soul returned to its unrestful sleep, “I’m sorry, Sis…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I had more planned to include in this chapter but then I ended up writing this and started crying a lot so I left it there. First part of the chapter was inspired by the events in the game, but I knew I had to address the whole issue surrounding the Hikawa twins eventually. I promise the next chapter won’t be nearly as heavy.
> 
> Anyways, comments are really appreciated, same as always. I enjoy getting your feedback! If you want to catch me on twitter, it’s also @xiropaine.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for going ghost again. I sorta lost the will to want to write this fic for reasons for a while, but I figured that I’d try to keep going if people actually wanted to read this kinda stuff. Just cause the nature and content that I want to put into this fic probably won’t resonate with a lot of people. But I’m not sure I want to drop the fic either, so we’ll see. Sorry for the short chapter.
> 
> Just a quick note, Kaoru is a king-class CH1A lilim, and an androgynous one at that. Basically, this model was specifically designed for entertainment, especially as idols. Kaoru’s gonna be genderfluid in this fic and goes by they/them pronouns. It’s common knowledge since Kaoru’s an idol, but personal identity issues regarding it will come into play once it’s addressed more seriously later on.

Everyone was expecting Tomoe to be the one to burst through the bar’s main entrance, but it was actually Ako that had shown up to help with Kokoro’s helmet dilema. Granted, they initially associated the height to the older Udagawa before having to do a double take. Ako relished in the staff’s reaction, sporting a wide grin before plopping down at the bar counter in front of Saaya.

“I know Tomoe said you got a height upgrade, but I wasn’t expecting this.” Saaya commented in disbelief. The White Knight’s newly-deployed body made her significantly taller and leaner, mimicking closely to Tomoe’s own build. The bar hand made a mental note to compare the sisters in height at a later time.

Ako laughed, “Sis did an amazing job, didn’t she? I was pretty surprised myself, honestly. I don’t know if I can ever thank her enough!”

“Well, that’s Tomoe for you. Always taking care of the people she holds dear,” Saaya replied with a reminiscing smile, “Not that I’m complaining, but why did you come down instead of her?”

“Sis is dealing with some drug bust right now and couldn’t leave her post. Plus, I haven’t been here since before the incident with the raid,” Ako explained, “Didn’t want anyone thinkin’ I was down for good.”

Saaya nodded, a sad smile etched onto her face. “Yea, uh, about that. Sayo’s…you know.”

Her eyes couldn’t help but find it’s gaze toward the door leading to the break room. Ako followed the line of sight, piecing together the reason for Saaya’s apprehension. 

“Is she okay?” Ako asked in concern.

“Yea, just had quite the panic attack earlier. Tsugumi’s in there helping ground her.”

“Right, well, I know I came to get Sis’ helmet, but if you need me to talk to her…” Ako’s sentenced fizzled, uncompleted. She wanted to give her support, but she wasn’t quite sure what she could say or do to help Sayo.

“I think that’d be nice. But maybe give them a bit? I’m afraid she might spiral again if you just burst in there unannounced,” Saaya proceeded to shift Ako’s attention to Kokoro’s office, “Misaki and Kokoro are in the main office, if you want to help them out first.”

“Right! Of course,” Ako jumped up, though it lacked the bounce she had when she first entered. “Be right back.”

Kokoro piped up the moment Ako entered her office, “Ako! Woah, you’re taller! Tomoe seriously spared no expense for your redeployment.”

“G’evening Ako,” Misaki greeted with a little more composure, but her eyebrows did quirk up at the sight of Ako’s body modifications, “Seems you’re our reinforcements for tonight. Kokoro’s been stuck in this thing for two hours.”

Ako laughed, walking over and easily finding the release latch to the helmet. Between the three of them, they were able to ease Kokoro’s head out without further complication.

“As much as I enjoyed that, I don’t think a career change would be very fitting,” the bar owner joked, “I can only imagine how stuffy the whole uniform feels.”

Ako couldn’t help but shrug, “You get used to it, since you’re pretty much introduced to it during basic training. Even I had to endure that suffering even though I mostly only work in cybersecurity these days. Sis loves the thrill of being out in the field though.”

“She certainly has the personality for it,” Misaki managed to add, “Well now that this is dealt with, I’m going to take over the bar again. Ako, drink’s on me for saving me the trouble.”

“Oh! One Dark’n’Fiery for me!” Ako quipped up in glee.

[Dark’n’Fiery]  
1oz dark spiced rum  
1oz chocolate liqueur  
1oz chili liqueur  
1oz half and half  
Topped with whipped cream

“I had a feeling,” Misaki replied with an amused nod.

After her drink, Ako made her way to the break room to help Tsugu with managing Sayo. Misaki continued to hold fort at the bar. Not that it was particularly difficult with how little business was coming in today. The vicinity was quiet until the familiar sound of the front door.

“Welcome to the BanG Dream,” the greeting spilling from Misaki’s lips on autopilot as the new patron took their seat at the bar. 

“Good evening, and what is this beautiful place?” the lilim spoke with an alluring voice and a charming smirk, propping up their arm so they could rest their chin on their hand. “Did I step into some sort of afterlife?”

“Charming,” Misaki deadpanned with an eye roll, “Do you normally walk into places without knowing where you are?”

“On occasion. Have to satisfy the pull of curiosity somehow.”

Misaki wanted to groan, already rather annoyed at the idea of having to entertain this customer’s mysterious charade. All she could do was narrow her eyes at the purple-haired lilim. “Well, this is a bar. If you haven’t figured it out yet.”

“A bar?” the lilim raised their eyebrow, clearly amused. “Splendid!”

“Did you want something?” Misaki had to ask, hoping this person would actually buy a drink rather than socialize the entire time.

The lilim seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if they had been caught off guard. Their response came out more of a question than a request. “Um...white wine?”

“Anything in particular?” Misaki dared to ask.

“Bartender’s recommendation?” They answered almost sheepishly, the charming persona close to cracking. 

“Figured,” Misaki whispered to herself before walking over to grab an unopened bottle of Muscato. 

As the lilim drank their wine, Misaki couldn’t help but wonder what was up with them. While the facade was clearly exaggerated, Misaki could tell by the lilim’s posture and clothes that she would never frequent the lower economic areas of the city, much like where B-4n Door-1 was located. 

She couldn’t help but ask the next time she went to refill the glass with more wine, “So, you don’t seem like you’re around these parts. So that begs the question, what brought you here?”

“How fleeting, you’re quite the perceptive one aren’t you?” Again, the lilim flashed that charming smile that poked the same nerve within Misaki as when Kokoro’s shenanigans were starting to become unmanageable. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t recognized my face yet. Consider yourself enlightened, for you’re in the presence of the one and only Kaoru Seta in the—”

“Never heard of you.” Misaki interrupted, not at all amused by the monologue. She had to smile to herself though, seeing how it instantly threw Kaoru off guard.

“Is...is that so?” Kaoru cleared their throat.

“Holy Babanbo, is that the Kaoru Seta?!” the exclamation seemed to right throughout the bas as a flash of purple dashed from the break room straight to the bar.

“I’m sorry, I’m still not following.” Misaki asked the over-energetic Udagawa sister.

“Misaki, I’m disappointed in you. You don’t know who Kaoru is?!” Ako exclaimed, “They’re like one of the most popular lilim idols in the country! Sis is super into their music… ah! But don’t tell her I said that!”

Kaoru couldn’t help but genuinely laugh at the fellow lilim’s excitement. “That would be me. If you’d like, I can get you some tickets to—my concert! Crap, what time is it?!”

Checking their phone, Kaoru visibly swallowed seeing the time and the countless notifications from their manager. Rising quickly to their feet, Kaoru cleared their throat before donning their princely act once more. “It seems I’ve overstayed my welcome in this pleasant BanG Dream, but I must return to my duties once more. Mayhaps we will have the chance to cross paths again in the future. Until then, I bid you all a good night. Adieu!”

“The things you come across working at a bar.” Misaki said mostly to herself. The strangest characters always seemed to find their way into bars, and while Misaki has had her fill of unusual encounters, this definitely one of the weirdest. She could only hope this Kaoru wouldn’t come back anytime soon. But before she could dwell on it any further, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“You can go on your break now Misaki,” Sayo said with a forced smile. “I can take over the bar for a while.”

Misaki had half a mind to say something back out of concern, but after the recent exchange, she could use a smoke. Instead, she nodded and grabbed her coat from under the bar. “Alright, I’ll be outside if you need me. Be back in twenty.”


End file.
